fix(core): restore the observer link with a scoped observer token - #50
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A workflow run stopped printing any way to watch itself. #27 removed the observer link because it carried `rk_live_` — an administrative credential (send, spawn, administer) in a URL, where query strings land in browser history, referrer headers, and proxy logs. That removal was right, and the engine rejects a workspace key on the realtime endpoint anyway, so the link had also stopped working. But the replacement it named — "requires a separately provisioned, read-only observer token" — was never built. Nothing in relayflows provisioned one, so runs became unwatchable: `ensureRelaycastApiKey` creates an anonymous workspace per run with no auth, holds the key in memory, and never persists or prints it. Once the run exits, nobody can reach that workspace again. Mint the token the old message pointed at. After resolving the workspace key, mint a scoped `ot_live_` token and print the link built from it: Workspace created for this workflow. Observer: https://agentrelay.com/observer?key=ot_live_... Channel: wf-ship-feature-a1b2c3 An observer token is the credential built for this job — read-only, expiring in 24h, individually revocable, and scopable to channels. Filters differ by who owns the workspace. An auto-created one exists only for this run, so the link covers all of it, DMs included. A user-supplied one may carry unrelated traffic, so the link is scoped to this run's channel with DMs excluded. A bring-your-own-key run previously printed nothing at all. Minting is best-effort throughout: network error, non-2xx, malformed body, or a 10s timeout all yield no link rather than a failed run. `buildObserverUrl` refuses anything but an `ot_live_` token, and the dashboard base must be http(s), so a bad `RELAY_OBSERVER_URL` cannot turn the link into a token exfiltration vector. Also fixes a filter bug this uncovered: `cli.ts` and `listr-renderer.ts` whitelisted only `Observer:` / `agentrelay.com` / `Channel: wf-`, so the `Observation:` and `Workspace created` lines were silently swallowed while listr owned the terminal — the existing fallback guidance never reached anyone. Both filters now share `isObserverGuidanceLine()`, with tests asserting every guidance line survives filtering. Verified against the live engine: both the firehose and channel-scoped mints return `ot_live_` tokens with a 24h expiry and produce a working link. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Rg77imZpwSho5Ngdp7wtRD
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📝 WalkthroughWalkthroughThe runner now mints scoped, read-only observer tokens for Relaycast runs. It prints observer links, filters related guidance consistently, handles minting failures safely, exposes token helpers, and documents automatic and manual observation workflows. ChangesLive run observation
Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes Merge Risk: 🟠 High · up to This PR introduces observer URLs containing read-capable bearer tokens, but the current implementation still permits plaintext HTTP links and can reuse auto-created workspace state across runs, allowing a later link to expose unrelated workflow traffic and direct messages. Documentation can also overstate link availability, while terminal filtering can suppress valid guidance, so the PR is not merge-ready until the security and guidance issues are corrected. Sequence Diagram(s)sequenceDiagram
participant Runner
participant ObserverTokenModule
participant RelaycastAPI
participant ObserverDashboard
Runner->>ObserverTokenModule: Resolve observer URL and token lifetime
Runner->>ObserverTokenModule: Mint token for the run channel
ObserverTokenModule->>RelaycastAPI: POST /v1/observer-tokens
RelaycastAPI-->>ObserverTokenModule: Return ot_live_ token and expiry
ObserverTokenModule-->>Runner: Build observer dashboard URL
Runner->>ObserverDashboard: Print Observer URL
Suggested reviewers: Poem
🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1❌ Failed checks (1 warning)
✅ Passed checks (4 passed)
Full details: Docstring CoverageExplanation Docstring coverage is 69.23% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 13 functions across 8 files. (2 skipped: 2 unsupported.) ✨ Finishing Touches 💡 1📝 Generate docstrings 💡
🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)
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| filters: this.relayApiKeyAutoCreated | ||
| ? { include_dms: true } | ||
| : { include_dms: false, channel_names: [channel] }, |
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When the same WorkflowRunner instance executes multiple workflows without RELAY_API_KEY, ensureRelaycastApiKey() reuses the existing key and cleanup never resets it. This branch therefore issues an unscoped, DM-enabled token for a workspace that now contains multiple runs: a shared link from the first run can observe later runs, and a later link exposes earlier messages and DMs. Either create/reset the auto-created workspace per execution or constrain every minted token to the current channel.
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| line.includes('Observation:') || | ||
| line.includes('Workspace created') || | ||
| line.includes('agentrelay.com') || | ||
| line.includes('Channel: wf-') |
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When swarm.channel is explicitly set to a valid name that does not start with wf- (for example team-room), its Channel: guidance line fails this predicate and is subsequently discarded as [workflow HH:MM] chatter by both Listr output filters. Match the generated Channel: guidance independently of the auto-generated prefix so configured channel names remain visible too.
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Actionable comments posted: 5
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Inline comments:
In `@docs/observer.mdx`:
- Around line 6-7: Qualify the observer-link documentation to reflect
best-effort token minting: in docs/observer.mdx lines 6-7, state that
broker-backed runs may print a real-time link; in README.md line 75, state that
the runner may print the link and that minting failure does not fail the run.
In `@packages/core/src/channel-messenger.ts`:
- Line 166: Update the matcher used by formatObserverGuidance to recognize the
stable “Channel: ” prefix rather than requiring the “wf-” channel name pattern,
so generated channels such as workflow-room remain visible through CLI and Listr
filtering.
In `@packages/core/src/observer-token.ts`:
- Around line 101-103: Update resolveObserverBaseUrl to accept only the https:
protocol, rejecting http: before buildObserverUrl can add the observer token;
apply the same HTTPS-only validation at packages/core/src/observer-token.ts
lines 101-103 and 169-173.
In `@packages/core/src/runner.ts`:
- Around line 2481-2483: Reset relayApiKey and relayApiKeyAutoCreated during
WorkflowRunner teardown so ensureRelaycastApiKey() cannot reuse credentials or
workspace ownership from a prior run. Preserve workspace-wide DM filters only
for keys created during the current run; otherwise retain channel-only
filtering. Add a regression test that reuses one WorkflowRunner across two runs
and verifies the second observer receives no workspace-wide DM access.
In `@README.md`:
- Around line 84-86: Qualify the observer URL safety wording to state that the
scoped, read-only ot_live_ token is still a bearer credential in the ?key= query
parameter, so anyone who obtains the URL can read the permitted workflow stream
until expiry or revocation. Apply this documentation update in README.md lines
84-86 and docs/observer.mdx lines 15-17.
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…opping custom channel guidance Two findings from review on this branch. An auto-created workspace was not, in fact, per-run. `ensureRelaycastApiKey` says "each run gets full isolation", but cleanup reset `channel`, `relaycast` and the rest while leaving `relayApiKey` and `relayApiKeyAutoCreated` set. On a reused runner instance the next run early-returns from that function and silently joins the previous run's workspace — where the previous run's observer link, unscoped and DM-enabled because the workspace was believed to be single-run, can watch it. Reset the auto-created key on cleanup so the promise the function already makes holds. A key supplied through RELAY_API_KEY belongs to the caller and is re-read from the environment. `isObserverGuidanceLine` matched `Channel: wf-`, inherited from the filters it replaced. A workflow may set `swarm.channel` to a name without the generated prefix, and that guidance line was then discarded as `[workflow HH:MM]` chatter by both Listr filters — the same swallowing bug this branch set out to fix, one case narrower. Match any channel name; `Creating channel:` chatter still fails the predicate, and there is a test for that. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Rg77imZpwSho5Ngdp7wtRD
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Both Codex findings were real and are fixed in ccbd9a9. P1 — auto-created workspace tokens scoped to the run. Confirmed: the cleanup block resets I fixed the cause rather than narrowing the token. P2 — custom channel names. Confirmed and fixed. The Typecheck clean; 64 targeted tests plus the full 77-test runner suite pass. |
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All reported issues were addressed across 3 files (changes from recent commits).
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…ink is Four review findings. The observer URL carries a bearer token in a query parameter, and `resolveObserverBaseUrl` accepted plain `http:` — putting that token on the wire in cleartext. Allow `https:` anywhere, and `http:` only for loopback, where a self-hosted or staging dashboard may have no TLS to offer and nothing crosses a network. This deliberately diverges from `agent-relay observer`, which accepts any http host; diverging toward the safer behaviour, with an error that says why, is the right side to be on. Add the two-run reuse regression the earlier fix lacked: teardown must clear an auto-created key so the next run on the same instance gets its own workspace, and must leave a caller-supplied one alone. Mutation-checked — removing the reset fails the first test with `expected 'rk_live_autocreated' to be undefined`, and the second still passes. The docs oversold the link twice. "Every workflow run that uses a broker prints a link" is not true when minting fails, which is a supported outcome rather than an error. And "safe to paste to a teammate" skipped past what the link is: a bearer credential that anyone holding the URL can read with until it expires or is revoked. Far smaller blast radius than a workspace key — it cannot send, spawn, or administer — but not public, and the docs now say so and point at `agent-relay observer revoke`. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Rg77imZpwSho5Ngdp7wtRD
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All four CodeRabbit findings addressed in 752242a. Require HTTPS (observer-token.ts). Valid — the URL carries a bearer token in a query parameter and Reset auto-created state between runs. Already fixed in ccbd9a9; the regression test you asked for is now added. Mutation-checked rather than asserted: removing the reset block fails it with Qualify the safety claim. Valid, and worth stating plainly. "Safe to paste to a teammate" skipped past what the link is. Both docs now say to treat it as a shared secret: it is a bearer credential, anyone holding the URL can read the stream it covers until expiry or revocation, and the revoke command is named inline. The contrast with a workspace key (cannot send, spawn, or administer) is kept, since that is the reason to prefer it — but it is no longer framed as harmless. Qualify the unconditional link claim. Valid. Minting is best-effort by design, so "every broker-backed run prints a link" was wrong. Both docs now say a link may not appear, that a failed mint never fails the run, and link to the troubleshooting section. Channel guidance matcher was fixed in ccbd9a9, before this review landed — your suggested diff matches what shipped. Typecheck clean; 149 tests across the three affected suites pass. |
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1 issue found and verified against the latest diff
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<file name="packages/core/src/runner.ts">
<violation number="1" location="packages/core/src/runner.ts:4323">
P2: When `swarm.channel` uses a custom name, the new guidance block loses its `Channel:` line in the CLI and listr renderers because their shared filter only whitelists `Channel: wf-`. Preserve any observer-guidance channel line so users can identify the channel covered by the scoped link.</violation>
</file>
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| this.log(line); | ||
| } | ||
| const observerUrl = await this.mintRunObserverUrl(channel); | ||
| for (const line of formatObserverGuidance(channel, { |
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P2: When swarm.channel uses a custom name, the new guidance block loses its Channel: line in the CLI and listr renderers because their shared filter only whitelists Channel: wf-. Preserve any observer-guidance channel line so users can identify the channel covered by the scoped link.
Prompt for AI agents
Check if this issue is valid — if so, understand the root cause and fix it. At packages/core/src/runner.ts, line 4323:
<comment>When `swarm.channel` uses a custom name, the new guidance block loses its `Channel:` line in the CLI and listr renderers because their shared filter only whitelists `Channel: wf-`. Preserve any observer-guidance channel line so users can identify the channel covered by the scoped link.</comment>
<file context>
@@ -4260,10 +4319,12 @@ export class WorkflowRunner {
- this.log(line);
- }
+ const observerUrl = await this.mintRunObserverUrl(channel);
+ for (const line of formatObserverGuidance(channel, {
+ workspaceCreated: this.relayApiKeyAutoCreated,
+ observerUrl,
</file context>
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All reported issues were addressed across 5 files (changes from recent commits).
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…er, gate the printed link Three review findings, plus a rewrite of the regressions behind them. The auto-created key reset sat near the end of the run's `finally` block, after `stopRelayfileEventSubscriptions()` and `shutdownRelay()`. Either can reject, and a throw inside `finally` skips everything below it — so a failed broker shutdown would leave the key set and hand the next run the previous run's workspace. Move the reset to the top of the block, ahead of anything fallible. Mutation-checked: with the old ordering, the new shutdown-failure test fails with `expected 'rk_live_autocreated' to be undefined`. `isObserverGuidanceLine` matched a bare `Channel: `, which let any log line containing that substring bypass the terminal noise filter the guidance block needed an exemption from. The guidance line always carries its own two-space indent, so match ` Channel: ` — still correct for arbitrary channel names like `team-room`, without waving through `[broker]` chatter. `formatObserverGuidance` printed any truthy `observerUrl`. `buildObserverUrl` already refuses to construct a link around anything but an `ot_live_` token, but the formatter is exported and prints to a terminal, so it should not rely on every caller having built its input correctly. Validate at the printing site too: a URL whose `key` is not an `ot_live_` token falls back to the no-link guidance. Two independent gates on the invariant #27 existed to protect. The teardown regressions were also fair to criticise: they seeded private state and ran once, so they asserted the mechanism (a field is cleared) and not the behaviour (a second run gets its own workspace). Rewritten to drive the real path — mock the workspace endpoint, resolve a key, run, resolve again — and assert two distinct workspaces were provisioned. The caller-supplied companion asserts the opposite: same key across runs, and the workspace endpoint never called. Mutation-checked: dropping the reset fails with `expected 'rk_live_workspace_1' to be 'rk_live_workspace_2'`. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Rg77imZpwSho5Ngdp7wtRD
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Addressed in 1372cd3. Reset before fallible teardown (P1). Correct and I'd missed it. The reset sat after Guidance matcher over-matched (P3). Taking the suggested Validate the printed URL (P2). Fair. The regressions themselves (P2). The sharpest note of the batch, and right: they seeded private state and ran once, so they asserted the mechanism (a field gets cleared) rather than the behaviour (a second run gets its own workspace). Rewritten to drive the real path — mock the workspace endpoint, resolve a key, run, resolve again — asserting two distinct workspaces were provisioned and Two earlier findings ( Typecheck clean; 154 tests across the three affected suites pass. |
1 participant
The problem
Running a relayflow no longer prints any way to watch it. There is no key to paste into
https://agentrelay.com/observer?key=, and on an auto-created workspace there is no way to recover one after the fact.#27 removed the link for good reason — it carried
rk_live_, an administrative credential (send messages, spawn and remove agents, change settings) in a URL, where query strings land in browser history, referrer headers, and proxy logs. The engine also rejects a workspace key on the realtime endpoint, so the link had stopped working anyway.But the replacement that commit named — "requires a separately provisioned, read-only observer token" — was never built. Nothing in relayflows provisions one. Meanwhile
ensureRelaycastApiKeycreates an anonymous workspace per run (POST /v1/workspaces, no auth header), keeps the key in memory, and never persists or prints it. Once the run exits, that workspace is unreachable by anyone, including its creator.The fix
Mint the token the old message pointed at. After the workspace key resolves, mint a scoped
ot_live_token and print the link built from it:An observer token is the credential built for this job: read-only, expiring in 24h, individually revocable, scopable to channels.
Filters depend on who owns the workspace. An auto-created workspace exists only for this run, so the link covers all of it, DMs included. A user-supplied workspace may carry unrelated traffic, so the link is scoped to this run's channel with DMs excluded. A bring-your-own-key run previously printed nothing at all.
Best-effort throughout. Network error, non-2xx, malformed body, or a 10s timeout all yield no link rather than a failed run.
buildObserverUrlrefuses anything but anot_live_token, and the dashboard base must be http(s), so a badRELAY_OBSERVER_URLcannot turn the link into a token-exfiltration vector.A filter bug this uncovered
cli.tsandlistr-renderer.tswhitelisted onlyObserver:/agentrelay.com/Channel: wf-. TheObservation:andWorkspace createdlines matched none of those, so they were silently swallowed while listr owned the terminal — the existing fallback guidance never reached anyone. Both filters now shareisObserverGuidanceLine(), with tests asserting every guidance line survives filtering.Documentation
New
docs/observer.mdxand a## Watching a RunREADME section cover how to get the link, the difference between an auto-created and a user-owned workspace (including copy the link while the run is going — an anonymous workspace is unrecoverable), minting more links withagent-relay observer, why a workspace key must never be shared, the four env vars, and what to do when no link appears.Verification
api.relaycast.dev: created a workspace, minted both the firehose and channel-scoped variants. Both returnedot_live_…with a 24h expiry and produced a workinghttps://agentrelay.com/observer?key=….tsc --noEmitclean; 68 targeted tests pass (25 new forobserver-token, 5 new for guidance/filtering).Config
RELAY_API_KEYRELAY_OBSERVER_URLhttps://agentrelay.com/observer.RELAY_OBSERVER_EXPIRES30m/24h/7d. Defaults to24h.RELAYCAST_BASE_URLhttps://api.relaycast.dev.🤖 Generated with Claude Code
https://claude.ai/code/session_01Rg77imZpwSho5Ngdp7wtRD
Summary by cubic
Restores a usable live observer link for workflow runs. Instead of printing no usable link—or exposing an administrative workspace key—the runner now prints a scoped, read-only, expiring
ot_live_URL; minting remains best-effort and never fails the run. Anyone with the URL can read its scoped stream until it expires or is revoked.Behavior
RELAY_OBSERVER_URLandRELAY_OBSERVER_EXPIRES, with invalid or over-90-day lifetimes falling back to 24 hours.Documentation
agent-relay observer.Written for commit 1372cd3. Summary will update on new commits.